This invention relates to the manufacture of stator assemblies for dynamoelectric machines, and in particular to a machine for automating certain portions of the winding and wedge insertion process in the manufacture of stator assemblies for such dynamoelectric machines. While the invention is described with particular emphasis on its use in conjunction with AC induction motors, those skilled in the art will recognize the wider applicabilities of the inventive principles disclosed hereinafter.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,973 to Kieffer, ('973) discloses a relatively high speed winding machine which can be used to form windings for a dynamoelectric machine. The windings, after formation, are stored on low cost transfer tools which were transported to an axial insertion machine of the type disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,536 to Hill, ('536). The winding machine disclosed in the Kieffer patent provided for improved motor production rates which were obtained relatively simply and inexpensively. The disclosures of the above-noted Hill and Kieffer patents are incorporated herein by reference. The apparatus and method disclosed hereinafter enables a motor manufacturer to again substantially increase motor production rates at relatively low cost by employing the device of this invention in connection with such winding machines similar to those desired in Kieffer '973. That employment enables a motor manufacturer to substantially increase production rates, reduce personnel requirements and reduce costs.
The coil assembly machine of this invention is a four station device which utilizes an operator to place prewound stator coils on the upper tooling of an axial insertion device. The tooling then rotates to a core placement position, then to a winding and wedge insertion position; then to a wound core removal position; returning thereafter to the operator coil placement position. The upper tooling assemblies are carried by a rotatable table which rotates the respective upper tooling assemblies in 90 degree increments so that winding coils are loaded by the operator after each increment. The machine automatically and continuously forms wedges for use at the winding insertion position of the device and loads them into a magazine for storage. The wedges then are are carried by the tooling of the axial insertion process to the winding insertion position for placement in the stator core, after winding insertion is completed. A particularly novel and high speed method of forming such wedges is disclosed. The device of this invention uses material for forming wedges which has a width dimension corresponding generally to the height dimension of the stator core. This relatively wide material can be advanced a short distance to form a wedge, with the result that wedge productivity can be increased dramatically. Prior art wedge machines used narrow material and the material is advanced and cut at the length of the stack height. The apparatus of our invention also utilizes the core pick-up and placement device which properly orients cores in conjunction with the windings for axial insertion.
One of the objects of this invention is to provide a low cost coil assembly machine.
Another object of this invention is to provide a coil assembly machine which has relatively high production rates and relatively low initial cost.
Another object of this invention is to provide a coil assembly machine which automatically places cores on axial insertion tooling and automatically removes cores from such machine.
Another object of this invention is to provide a coil assembly device which automatically forms wedges for isertion in the core of a dynamoelectric machine.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method and device for manufacturing wedges at high speed.
Another object of this invention is to provide a wedge making device in which the width of the wedge material corresponds to the stack height of the core assembly so that the material need be advanced only a fraction of the stack height in order to permit the cutting and forming of an insulation wedge.
Other objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.